SB 4 discriminates, affects all Texans

María Antonietta Berriozábal and Rebecca Flores, For the Express-News

Published 4:51 pm, Monday, July 17, 2017

Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press

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Rep. Ramón Romero, D-Fort Worth, has filed a bill to repeal SB 4 during the special session. Here, students gather in the Rotunda at the Texas Capitol in April to oppose the sanctuary cities bill that passed in the regular session. less

Rep. Ramón Romero, D-Fort Worth, has filed a bill to repeal SB 4 during the special session. Here, students gather in the Rotunda at the Texas Capitol in April to oppose the sanctuary cities bill that passed ... more

Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press

SB 4 discriminates, affects all Texans

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At least once in every generation comes a crisis that challenges all of us, young and old, to stand up for what is right. Texas’ new racial profiling law, Senate Bill 4, is that moment, as it threatens our values, our highly cherished diverse culture and our economy. One does not have to be an immigrant to be impacted by this law, and together, we must reclaim our state by urging the Legislature to repeal SB 4.

One of us is the daughter of immigrants and the other a daughter of migrant farmworkers. As U.S. citizens, we know our status will mean nothing to a highway patrolman or other law enforcement officer if we are driving a car with a broken taillight. The officer can profile us and demand proof of legal status, and if we do not have the right documents, jail us until we can prove otherwise.

It can happen to anyone who looks or speaks in a manner that seems suspicious to a police officer. What if the driver can produce a passport but the passenger left home without a wallet holding proper documents? What if the passenger is a college student with only a campus ID?

We are familiar with the need to prove our citizenship with a U.S. passport or birth certificate when re-entering Texas from Mexico. Now, the proof will have to be provided beyond the border, on our city streets. It brings to mind the Warsaw ghetto where the Jews lived. Our six-point stars are not on our chests but in the color of our skin.

Sadly, the greatest pain and terror will be felt by those who are undocumented or who are from mixed status families, such as U.S.-born children of undocumented parents.

Many are canceling health care appointments because of the increased presence of local and federal law enforcement officers near clinics. They fear their families being torn apart by needless deportations. Infectious illnesses have no borders, and this ugly political climate hurts entire communities.

We also may be less safe because of the chilling effect that SB 4 is having on heavily immigrant neighborhoods, where police have cultivated trust relationships to solve crimes.

During a federal court hearing on SB 4, City Councilman Rey Saldaña told of neighborhood meetings he attended with police to inform residents that police cannot ask about immigration status. But SB 4 includes stiff fines and jail time for police and public officials who speak out against the law or do not comply. The trust police have built in the communities will evaporate.

San Antonio is the jewel of Texas tourist destinations, and our economy will suffer tremendously. As boycotts intensify, many of our convention and tourism industry jobs will be lost, as will the tax dollars that visitors spend.

California is banning business travel by its state employees to Texas because of another new law that could prevent gay parents from adopting or fostering children. Also, the special session of the Legislature will reconsider the “bathroom bill,” which would restrict access based on the gender on an individual’s birth certificate.

Using police to discriminate against us and to terrorize communities is antithetical to the values of justice and mercy that we have tried to maintain in San Antonio.

We must support the bill by Rep. Ramón Romero, D-Fort Worth, to repeal SB 4 during the special session. Also, please join the Pro-Immigrant Coalition/Coalición Pro-Inmigrante and help us fight back. Together, we must remove this cloud of fear and distrust that has descended upon Texas.